Hello. What are your favorite sources for lead used in casting jigs? I've been snorkeling in popular fishing spots and picking up sinkers to melt down for mine but I'm looking for a new source that might be easier. Thanks

Lyman bullet lead.

Tom

Try Roto-Metals on Line. They have very good prices and free shipping. I buy 400-500 lbs from there. Never any bad lead.  If you decide to melt any lead that has been in the water, be very careful, lead and water don't mix. It will explode if heated too rapidly and you will get very badly burned. Best to buy dry lead from a good source.

9 hours ago, cadman said:

Try Roto-Metals on Line. They have very good prices and free shipping. I buy 400-500 lbs from there. Never any bad lead.  If you decide to melt any lead that has been in the water, be very careful, lead and water don't mix. It will explode if heated too rapidly and you will get very badly burned. Best to buy dry lead from a good source.

Thank you for the insight

20 minutes ago, JacobB006 said:

Thank you for the insight

Depending on how much you are going to pour, I do a 80%  pure soft and 20% hard. Reason being is. Pure soft although pours easier is too soft (JMO). You can buy and use pure soft if you don't want to buy different hardness's of lead. Adding 20% or 30% of hard to soft lead makes the perfect lead hardness in my opinion. If you need more help, PM me and I will help you out.

I go to the tire shops and ask if they have any junk wheel weights. 

9 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

I go to the tire shops and ask if they have any junk wheel weights. 

You might want to check them for zinc because it is harder to use and has been known to damage Lee pots.

On 2/14/2025 at 9:51 AM, Jig Man said:

You might want to check them for zinc because it is harder to use and has been known to damage Lee pots.

That’s a good point. Sorting through them and discarding anything that is hard to cut with a knife or pliers is important. 

I was lucky a few years ago and acquired 70# of printers lead.  It contains antimony and makes my pours harder than plumbers lead.  I add a little bit of it in with my regular lead.  I’ve also been fortunate enough to have several people give me soft lead from time to time.  I probably have at least 100# of it.  I got a 4x8 sheet of X-ray lead from a friend who did hospital remodels.

20 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I got a 4x8 sheet of X-ray lead from a friend who did hospital remodels.

I’ll bet that was lite as a feather!

2 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

I’ll bet that was lite as a feather!

As I remember maybe a couple of hundred pounds.  I had to clean the glue off the back and melt it outside with my fish cooker because of the fumes then skim and double flux before using it to pour, but it made a few thousand jigs and it was free.

Try Facebook Market Place as I find a lot of lead being sold there. Bought 14 26lb lead blocks for $200 from someone 10 miles away.

 

Allen

My BIL is a plumber and HVAC guy and gets me all my lead from old lead pipes and lead sheeting when he's doing remodel work in older houses. Takes some work to clean up, but it's free.